Knowing loss
by Star Splice
Summary: (Just a random thing I wrote for a project in school. This doesn't have anything to do with any of the reboot series.) When you loss someone you love, and that guilty thought that it was your fault worms its way into your mind. Its nice to have a best friend to count on that will drag you out. I was luck enough to have one.


Savanna Boggs

Reboot

Cold. Bleak. Empty. Dark.

These desperate words describe the view I have in the observation room. I locked myself in here to think-even though what I'm thinking I wish I could forget…That harsh, mind numbing scene that's branded into my mind forever. Especially since it was someone I loved dearly.

Richard was his name.

I rhythmically ran my thumb over the silver tags in my hand and choked back a heavy sob as tears cascaded down my raw cheeks as the scene flashed though my mind once more.

 **-42 Hours Earlier** -

"Watch your 6!" a voice warned as a body of an alien, clad in golden armor holding an energy sword, thudded to the ground just inches behind me behind me. With my hearty racing I spun around to see Richard Simmons behind me with a battle rifle in his hands, the barrel smoking.

"Thanks." I smiled at him from behind my helmet, I knew he could see it despite my golden visor.

" No problem." He responded off handedly.

Then, as Spartans are train to do, we both turned back to the fight, it was almost over….Or so we thought. As we killed of the last of the grunts and Elites, a large purple ship shaped like a egg slammed into the ground about a quarter of a mile away, it was layered in dirt and grime and smelled of rotting flesh.

Oh no. Not those, _anything_ but those. I thought to myself with dread.

There was an ear shattering screech as the side of the ship exploded into a ball of roaring flames; then, gross, burnt, broken, and bloody corpses started sprinting towards us, as they did even more little squid-like creatures scuttled out of the crashed ship, digging and rutting themselves into the battered, dead bodies of the dead aliens Simmons and I killed earlier. The bodies slowly rose from the ground, the flesh cracked and bended to the floods will. I swallowed hard. It was only me and Simmons now; the rest of our team was gone.

I snapped out of my frozen state when Simmons patted my back," Come on! It'll be okay." he reassured, although he sounded doubtful, still we both raised our weapons and stood tall.

After about two hours of harsh battling, we were both exhausted physically, plus we were also low on ammo, and the number of the Flood were not thinning out. I gritted my teeth as I was thrown to the ground once again, as the dead began swarming around me. Simmons wasn't fairing much better. In fact, he had it worse, he had brutes cornering him; their jaws snapping and ripped flesh bleeding. I tried with the strength I had left to fight off the ones that were on me, but I just couldn't.

Suddenly, I heard Simmons scream out painfully as the sound of fresh flesh ripping echoed high above the fields of groans, moans, and snarls.

In response, I snapped my head over to him, but I wish I hadn't.

Simmons. _MY_ Simmons was getting ripped apart. The brutes claws were shredding though his armor like butter. Then, the beasts ripped off his helmet and threw it so it landed by me. I gave him a pleading, terrified look, but he just smiled weakly at me.

Then, he lifted his right arm and tossed something at me. It landed by my head and glowed a bright gold as something started to expand from it. It was a bubble shield. It started to expand more and as it did, it pushed off all the flood that were still on me.

When they were completely off I gasped for fresh air and sat up fast. I quickly scrambled got to my feet and began pounding my fists on the shield "SIMMONS!' I wailed as loud as I could. I didn't even recognize my own voice; it was filled with so much distress and angst. I slowly sank to my knees in defeat as I roughly tore off my helmet. Tears welled up in my eyes as-

"Avaline." I was brought out of my painful memory when someone put a hand on my shoulder and whispered my name " It wasn't your fault…" a soft and comforting voice said. I immediately recognized it as my best friend's, George Travis's. He then crouched next to me and wrapped me in a hug. I willingly collapsed onto him as I wrapped my arms around him in a death grip, while I weaped into his chest.

He sighed and rested his chin atop on my head," Easy, Av. It's alright."

"No…It's not!" I whimpered out as I balled my fists in his shirt," He's gone! He's gone because of me! I should have been stronger!" I shouted, my body trembling even more as sobs crawled up my throat and came out as short gasps. " I miss him so much! Its not fair!" Travis put his hands on my shoulders and roughly pulled me away from my confront zone that was his broad chest.

" Listen. Avaline." He said firmly, Then his expression softened when he saw just how distressed and broken my face, and even my eyes looked. " I'm going to tell you something. And I want you to remember it until the day you die." He brushed my fire red hair out of my eyes and off my forehead lovingly

"Spartans never die, they just go missing in action….."


End file.
